Author: Don Yaeger

Dear Peyton Manning, Thank you. You’re truly one of a kind, and I hate to see you go. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for you, from a Super Bowl title to some tough news coverage, to the daily question of when (or if) you would retire. Now you’ve chosen to do so. I have been consistently fascinated by your leadership—which has earned you league MVP five times and two Super Bowl wins—but you are leaving us...

Recent shakeups within the NBA saw the dismissal of several high profile coaches. One change, though, really stood out to me. Derek Fischer—league-beloved point guard known for his championship-level play with the Los Angeles Lakers—was recently fired as coach of the New York Knicks and the dismissal reminded me of a truism most don’t openly discuss: All-star employees often make lousy managers. Though the decorated...

This Sunday, the Daytona 500 will serve as the opening for another NASCAR season. And much as he has for most of the last 15 years, Jimmie Johnson will be among the favorites to be the champion at season’s end. Six times in the last 10 years, Johnson has held the Sprint Cup trophy aloft. But while Johnson’s name is the one etched in history, he couldn’t win all those races without a GREAT TEAM. In my long-running effort...

Congratulations to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos—you’ve just climbed the mountain. Now, the most difficult thing to do will be scaling that mountain twice. The sports and business greats all know that winning is difficult, but repeating a championship performance is such a challenge that few can tell you how it feels. Think about it, how many champions repeat? Whether it is a team hoisting a championship banner...

In 2011, Cam Newton would sulk on the bench whenever the Carolina Panther’s defense was on the field. Eventually, Newton was advised by veteran players that he could be more effective as a leader if he used his personality to uplift the team. Newton took the assessment to heart and made several major adjustments. Now—less than a week before his first Super Bowl—he’s not only the dynamic leader of the NFL’s hottest...

In a flurry of postseason NFL firings, several big-name coaches—Lovie Smith, Chip Kelly and Tom Coughlin—departed from their respective teams faster than a slant pass from Tom Brady. While loyal fans have decried the firings, it’s not unusual for NFL jobs to change hands before the dust can settle on the regular season. In the business world, executive turnover happens every day and teams must address a consistent...

Heading into tonight’s college football national championship game, the Clemson Tigers are undefeated and ranked number one. Still, if you listened to Clemson players and coaches in the last few days, you have heard how they are fueled by disrespect. You read that correctly. The number one team in the nation feels like the underdog. As ridiculous as it sounds, “No one believes in us,” has been a common comment from...

First, a Monmouth Hawk basketball player slam-dunks a basket on the court and the crowd’s attention immediately turns to…the bench! There, two backup players lift another player—who forms a basketball hoop with his arms—by the waist, allowing a fourth bench player to dunk an imaginary basketball through the makeshift hoop. The Monmouth bench collapses from the dunk, and the crowd goes wild. This circus of team support...